CBS prepping Stephen King-based series The Things They Left Behind from Arrow producer

Share This Post

With Under the Dome proving a summer success, CBS is developing another new series based on a Stephen King series — though this one has a bit more of a supernatural angle.

The network beat out a few others to lock in a pilot order for The Things They Left Behind, a supernatural procedural drama based on King’s short story of the same name. The series is being developed by Greg Berlanti (Arrow) and Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter). Grahame-Smith wrote the pilot, and Berlanti will help guide the overall arc, assuming the network places a series order.

The pilot will follow “an unlikely pair of investigators carrying out the unfinished business of the dead.” An interesting pitch for a series, and coming from King it could definitely be a solid jumping-off point for a series. Plus, Berlanti’s involvement is a great sign. He’s already workign Arrow, Flash and the in-development Supergirl series — so what’s one more?

Though King's novels have typically proven popular fare for films and television, studios are now starting to dig deeper into his catalog. Heck, Syfy's Haven is based on the novella The Colorado Kid, so it stands to reason a short story could kick off a high-concept supernatual drama. According to the deal the network has made, they'll face a stiff penalty if they don't pick up the series, so we'd think this one will definitely find a spot on the schedule.

The original Things They Left Behind is set in the aftermath of 9/11, and was originally published in 2003 as part of the short story compilation Transgressions: Volume Two. Oddly enough, the story has previously been adapted as a short film twice by indie filmmakers — once by Pablo Macho Maysonet IV, and another by Guillaume Heulard and Stéphane Valette.

Check out trailers for the short film takes on the story below, while we wait to see what CBS does with the premise.